Lagace, Smith, and Ully join Steelheads

Boise, ID (12/4/15)— Forwards Gemel Smith and Cole Ully, along with goaltender Maxime Lagace, have joined the Idaho Steelheads at CenturyLink Arena and will be available for Friday night’s game against the Florida Everblades.

All three players were assigned to the Steelheads from AHL Texas on Thursday afternoon by the Dallas Stars. Lagace returns to the Steelheads for the second time this season, while Smith and Ully will prepare to make their Steelheads debuts.

Lagace, 22, was with the Steelheads from November 12th to November 25th this season. Lagace played one game with AHL Texas following his November 25th recall, and now rejoins Philippe Desrosiers to make up the Steelheads goaltending tandem. Lagace is 1-2-2 for Idaho this season with a 3.24 goals against average and a .891 save percentage.

Smith, 21, is a fourth-round draft pick of the Dallas Stars in the 2012 NHL Draft, now playing his second professional season. The Toronto native has nine points (six goals, three assists) in 20 games this season with the Texas Stars. Smith has played 88 pro games, all with AHL Texas, scoring 16 goals and 36 points. He played five seasons in the Ontario Hockey League with the Owen Sound Attack and London Knights, winning an OHL Championship in 2011 with Owen Sound and earning a gold medal at the 2012 Ivan Hlinka Tournament with Team Canada.

Ully, 20, is a rookie playing his first full season of pro hockey. The Calgary native has played ten games with AHL Texas this year, scoring a goal and five points. Ully was a fifth-round draft pick of the Dallas Stars in 2013 after playing parts of five seasons with the Western Hockey League’s Kamloops Blazers. Ully scored 95 goals and 237 points in 256 games with Kamloops and was named to the WHL (West) First All-Star Team last season.

All three players are on NHL contracts with the Dallas Stars.

The Steelheads also released defenseman Dave Pszenyczny today.

The Steelheads host the Florida Everblades at CenturyLink Arena again on Saturday night at 7:10pm. The Steelheads host their Teddy Bear Toss for Tots, sponsored by the US Marine Corps and the Steelheads Booster Club. Fans are invited to throw plush or stuffed unbreakable toys onto the ice after the Steelheads first goal on Saturday, with all toys collected and donated to the Marine Corps’ Toys for Tots program.

For single-game tickets or for information on prorated season ticket plans, contact the Idaho Steelheads at 208-383-0080 or log on to www.idahosteelheads.com.